Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
OLR, NOLA
Each
one of us here is a body and a rational soul. A human person. All of
us together make up one Body, the Church. Just as each one of us is a
body and the soul, so the Body the Church has a soul – the Holy
Spirit. The job of the rational soul is to animate the human body,
give it life, direction, purpose; imbue it with intelligence, will,
and creativity. Just so, the Holy Spirit animates the Body of the
Church, gifting us with wisdom, knowledge, fortitude, piety,
understanding, counsel, and fear of the Lord. Each one of us received
these gifts at our confirmation and the Church received them all at
Pentecost. And receives them still. While the disciples hide in fear,
trembling, crying, mourning the death of Jesus, the Holy Spirit
breaks through their despair with wind and fire and sets them ablaze
with a supernatural mission – to out into the world and teach and
preach the Good News of Christ Jesus. That same Holy Spirit abides
with us even now, energizing the Body of Christ, the Church, to do
all that he has commanded us to do. Therefore, “brothers and
sisters: No one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy
Spirit.” If Jesus is your Lord, do as he commands.
Doing
what Jesus commands us to do is no easy thing. We all know this b/c
we have all failed at some point and will probably fail again. But
doing what he commands is how we grow in our friendship with the
Lord. It's how we accomplish our holiness and bring others to Christ.
Every human failure starts with a profound failure to understand a
fundamental truth about our who we are as Children of the Father. As
Children of the Father, adopted sons and daughters, we are
persistently and unavoidably always in the presence of the Holy
Spirit. Nothing we say, do, feel, or think is ever not said,
done, felt, or thought w/o the presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus
promised the disciples that at his ascension into heaven he would
send to them (and us) an Advocate, a spiritual guide who will be with
us always. When we move to do as Jesus commands to move we do so
fully in the presence of the love that the Father and Son have for
one another. In the presence of the Holy Spirit. If you try to move
w/o the Spirit, if you try to speak, think, or feel w/o the guidance
of the Holy Spirit, you fail. In essence, you are the pinky toe
trying to walk w/o the foot. The foot trying to run w/o the ankle.
The ankle trying to jog w/o the shin. You are trying to succeed w/o
the very source of Success Himself.
So,
if we are always in the presence of the Holy Spirit, how can we ever
fail? Good question. The Holy Spirit is with us always. No question
about this. However, we are not always with the Holy Spirit. Here's
an analogy: the local radio station is pumping out music whether you
are listening or not; whether you are tuned in properly or not. The
airwaves are filled with TOP40, rap, country, classical, talk, but
you can't hear any of it b/c your receiver is off. The Holy Spirit is
pumping out Divine Love 24/7. He never stops. He never pauses. So,
the question is: are you tuned it? Is your Holy Spirit
receiver properly tuned? If you are in a state of sin, then the
answer is no. If you aren't praying for the Father's will to be done
in your life, the answer is no. If you aren't following Christ's
command to love and forgive and accomplish great things in his name,
the answer is no. If you are allowing the spirits of this world –
rebellion, hatred, vengeance, lust, greed, wrath – if you are
allowing these malignant spirits to rule your heart, the answer is
no. The Holy Spirit will be with you and me always. But will you and
I always be with the Holy Spirit?
How
do we guarantee that we are always with the Holy Spirit? How do we
make sure that our Holy Spirit receiver is always properly tuned?
Immerse yourself in prayer. Always and everywhere give God thanks for
everything you have and everything you are. Never cease offering Him
praise and thanksgiving. Grow in holiness by looking to the saints
for examples of how to grow apart from this world and closer to
Christ. Surrender your heart and mind – your whole person – to
the will of the Father, and seek His guidance in everything you say
and do. Ask for what you need and wait on His grace. Never forget
that you are a citizen of the Kingdom, an heir to a divine
inheritance. You do not belong to this world. Death is nothing to
fear b/c death for you and me is beaten. Christ's victory is our
victory, and the war is won. And lest we take pride in this victory,
remember: it was won
for us not by us. Our
gratitude in sharing in this victory is the measure of our humility.
Lastly, know that the Holy Spirit gives each one of us everything we
need to remain faithful and true. “No one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,'
except by the Holy Spirit.” Jesus is Lord! Make it so.
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